2006 BMW Mini S 1.6 Supercharged from North America

Summary:

Faults:

The only thing that went wrong with the car was the flywheel needed to be replaced at 15K as it was making a noise. Also, the steering seems to have made more noise then I liked.

General Comments:

I have to say that I absolutely loved this car. By far my favorite car ever. I have had everything to Mustang Cobras, Hondas, Mazda Miatas and the car I had before, A BMW Z3M Roadster. It was a great car too but not very practical in the Midwest Winters. It was parked most of the time in the garage.

So I traded it in for my black Mini with chrome package. This car gets excellent gas mileage and is pretty quick for a 1.6. It rode on rails. Very fun to drive. The seating position for me was great. It is comfortable, but long trips would show this cars limitation on that topic. I also had the sport suspension which was still. Long bumpy sections would really have my kidneys cursing me. I think the car was put together right.

I would caution that the service manual states oil changes every 10K which is absurd. I recommend 5k changes with full synthetic oil. Remember, this is a supercharged engine. Keep in mind that every oil change cost me around 110.00. Yes, that's right. BMW charged me this each time I had it serviced, although the oil changes during the warranty period were free. I still had it changed at 5K intervals.

The only issues I had were a noise in the tranny which turned out to be the flywheel which was replaced under warranty. Otherwise a perfect car. I would have never sold this but I got married and we both needed a car so I had to sell the Mini to get two Mazda 3s. :(

Another thing is that since it is supercharged, it requires the high cost/high octane gas so figure that into your buying decision.

2006 BMW Mini Cooper 1.6 petrol from Germany

Summary:

Great fun, with a hint of the original cars spirit

Faults:

Broken hinge on rear seat - 10000 Kms

Pipe for air-conditioning broke - 95000 Kms.

General Comments:

The car was bought from a dealer Germany (I live in Germany). The red/white paint caught my eye, as did the black/red part leather sports seats and silver/black interior. I thought it was a new car but actually it was 18 months old and belonged to BMW Muenchen. It was apparently used by BMW staff. The car wore the registration plate MI-NI 56 for the first 18 months.

The car was basically as new inside and out, apart from some strange marks to the fluid-silver door trim. The dealer replaced all of these before collection. The car came with 2 different sets of alloys wheels (one set are the 5 Star Blaster). Both sets just like new; one set with summer tyres and the other with winter/snow tyres.

The handling is faultless. It is a hoot on twisty roads and equally as good as high speed motorway cruiser. I love the quirky interior design, including the subtle coloured lighting to the door-cards, seat-belt mounts, door-handle bezels - blue is best!

The build quality is generally good, although not perfect. The knobs for the electric mirrors and the stereo feel cheap and wobbly. I have had a problem with wind noise from the driver’s window at high speeds. The hinge mechanism for the rear seat broke on one side (repaired under warranty). Air-conditioning pipe broke (repaired under warranty). There are a couple of annoyances too, the main one being water dripping all over driver or passenger seats when you open the door during moderate rain. The water collects on the seal and pours off when you open the door. The same with the boot hatch.

Overall I am pleased with the car though and can live with its faults.

I am a fan the original Mini (I have a 1972 Mini) and despite the BMW vehicle being a very different car, designed at a different time for a different buyer, the new car shares some of the old cars spirit – built in the old Morris works in Oxford too.

2006 BMW Mini Cooper from North America

Summary:

Faults:

My clutch blew at 26000 miles.

General Comments:

After looking online, I can see that I am not alone with problems with a clutch in the mini. I will never buy another one, and it breaks my heart.

I drive this car with such care. It's my first real car after living in NYC and not needing a car for 20 years. I've driven manual all my life, and no one can tell me that my driving should cause a clutch to blow...

7th Aug 2008, 10:57

How do you reconcile the fact that you have lived in NYC for the past 20 years without needing a car, yet you have driven manual your entire life? I guess it should read you've driven manual your life (minus the past twenty years).